toreadorxlt
Member
- Joined
- May 7, 2012
- Messages
- 16
Thanks to everybody who helped me on here. I coated the floor this weekend. Weather was looking perfect so I went for it. After the 500th sweep and vacuum I got the show on the road. I had bought the material a while ago of a guy I know. He does concours restorations and had done a ton of reseach on what floor product to use..He landed on Regal 2 part 100% solids epoxy out of the UK and had enough imported to do his monster shop.. I ended up buying enough for my humble 1100sqft space.... or so I thought.
In Hindsight I should have bought a local product, but I had his experience to go off and I witnessed the abuse his floors have sustained and they still looked great. So I went for it.
Where I went wrong.... because I bought this imported product, and only had his experience, I didn't know what primer to use or anything else. But I already owned the product, and I know it worked great for him... so I was stuck. Either spend the money again, or take a chance... take a chance is what I did..
Ended up laying up a thin first coat as a primer coat.. It bubbled pretty good. I imagine it was the floor out-gassing (it was certainty clean). I mixed the product as recommended and gave it 10min to mix up before applying. I was chasing things with a spike roller and constantly back rolling but it still bubbled up. Next day I sanded the highs off the bubbles and gave it a second coat at about 100sqft/gal. This cured nearly every flaw, but you can still see some small bubble scars from the first coat. Either way, I'm quite pleased with the results.
Next time I will buy a product from a US distributor with the knowledge base and primers to match. Priming will definietly happen on the next floor, as I imagine it locks the pores of the concrete,. I'm hoping what I got is adhered as good as his, and in 10 years or whatever I can "scuff and recoat" with a different product as they get beat up.
Hoping to tape and fill the control cuts with sikaflex in a week after it cures up good. I can walk on it now, but I imagine a week minimum is good before I do anything on it.
In Hindsight I should have bought a local product, but I had his experience to go off and I witnessed the abuse his floors have sustained and they still looked great. So I went for it.
Where I went wrong.... because I bought this imported product, and only had his experience, I didn't know what primer to use or anything else. But I already owned the product, and I know it worked great for him... so I was stuck. Either spend the money again, or take a chance... take a chance is what I did..
Ended up laying up a thin first coat as a primer coat.. It bubbled pretty good. I imagine it was the floor out-gassing (it was certainty clean). I mixed the product as recommended and gave it 10min to mix up before applying. I was chasing things with a spike roller and constantly back rolling but it still bubbled up. Next day I sanded the highs off the bubbles and gave it a second coat at about 100sqft/gal. This cured nearly every flaw, but you can still see some small bubble scars from the first coat. Either way, I'm quite pleased with the results.
Next time I will buy a product from a US distributor with the knowledge base and primers to match. Priming will definietly happen on the next floor, as I imagine it locks the pores of the concrete,. I'm hoping what I got is adhered as good as his, and in 10 years or whatever I can "scuff and recoat" with a different product as they get beat up.
Hoping to tape and fill the control cuts with sikaflex in a week after it cures up good. I can walk on it now, but I imagine a week minimum is good before I do anything on it.
Rubbing compound or a scrunge (scotchbrite) Pad also works well to clean up things.